For those of us looking for inspiration to keep sailing (and living life to its fullest) into “maturity,” we need look no further than solo sailor Jeanne Socrates. She’s set records as the oldest singlehanded circumnavigator via the five great Capes and first woman to circumnavigate starting and ending in North America. I’ve had the great good fortune to write about Jeanne in the past and even talk to her by satellite phone while she’s offshore. She’s at it again at age 80. This time it’s not intended as a record breaking circumnavigation, but more like a Pacific cruise with stops along the way, ending up in the Antipodes. She calls Victoria her home port much of the time, so we get to claim her as part of the PNW community.
Jeanne asked me to help drum up some subscribers to her Youtube channel. Yes, folks, she’s a Youtuber. It’s the least I can do. Subscribe here.
In the meantime, here’s Jeanne as she overcomes a less than trouble free start:
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
For anybody who’s been wondering what the Globe 40 was all about, and get a taste for these impressive boats, Take a look at this video. Seattle’s Craig Horsfield, who was on the Amhas team that finished second overall, is featured several times in the video.
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
And now for the most impressive crew in this year’s Race to Alaska (R2AK). Mustang Survival Team Rite of Passage is the youngest team ever to complete the race, which they did yesterday finishing 9th in the wee hours of the morning. The brilliant writers in R2AK headquarters wrote up a wonderful team profile, which should be read. (As all the profiles should be! They’re that irreverent, er, entertaining.) Congratulations to Nadia Khalil, Francesca Dougherty, Sebastian Dougherty and Enzo Dougherty. You guys rock. Make sure other young people hear your story – We’d love to run anything you have to say here in sailish. Without further ado, here’s their story from the R2AK race boss:
Mustang Survival Team Rite of Passage
In hopes of avoiding another “kids these days” conversation, I’ll put it right out there: Mustang Survival’s Team Rite of Passage has an average age of 16.75. They now hold the record for the youngest team to ever complete R2AK, as well as the youngest racer: Francesca Dougherty, 15. It does take a minute to let the ‘wow’ of it all settle down, because right when we think we’ve wrapped our heads around how incredible this is, they go and reflect that the difficulties of R2AK include high school (high school!). “We couldn’t have done this without our mentors. Finishing the school year and prepping for R2AK at the same time was a lot. Our mentors helped us to the start line and we took it from there.”
Okay, forget it. There is no way to talk about this team without bringing age into it. It’s like telling a joke with half the punchline, it’ll never land the same—but whatever tired stereotypes about this generation just don’t seem to apply.
Meet the teenage incredible behind that tracker blip you’ve been rooting for: Nadia Khalil, Francesca Dougherty, Sebastian Dougherty, Enzo Dougherty and a Santa Cruz 27: Mustang Survival’s Team Rite of Passage.
This is a team with boating pedigree. Siblings Enzo and Francesca are 2nd generation R2AK’ers, Nadia a varsity sailing team racer, and Sebastian—can we stop a minute to say how irritating and confusing it is that he has the same last name as Enzo and Francesca, but no family relationship?—spends his days on a family boat that happens to be the neo-legendary Hamachi, a J/125 and winner of the 2019 Transpac.
Up and coming sailors all, the team had long considered the Race to Alaska a life goal, dream board material that would have been out of reach for most 15-18 year olds. Yes, because of their pedigree, but being in their presence you immediately pickup that behind their affable exterior there’s something unnervingly competent about them.
Enzo, the engineer and rigger of the group, built out the pedal drive they were going to be spending days on, and supplied the Santa Cruz with enough gear to rerig it if necessary, including a legacy tool box. “We brought 100 feet of Dyneema and my dad gave us the same tool box he used in 2015.” Heirloom redefined. Like all teams, each experienced different trials; separate and distinct moments of wavering. For Nadia the challenge was never the sailing. “Headspace was so hard. Being in a good mood and being motivated was way harder than moving the boat.” Cape Caution was a universal high/low. A psychotic point of land with such a swing of behavior that one team can pass it calmly and without notice, while the next day its exposure, lee shore, and steep, confused seas create a ride of terror. For Rite of Passage, it was the best and worst. “We were going around Cape Caution in the middle of the night.” Sebastian recalled, “Ginormous waves and hitting 12 knots (of boat speed)! It was the fastest we went on the trip. We were surfing waves!” But they all realized that if one of them went overboard at that time, they would never be able to get them back. “If we would have lost someone overboard, we’d have lost them.”
Woah. A virtual hug for their parents who were watching the tracker like the rest of us, and read that for the first time right now, too. Kudos to your offspring, and to you for believing in them.
The race has always had a knack for exploiting a team’s weakness: sleep deprivation, worn gear, failing bodies, questioning judgment. It’s always about making it to Ketchikan before something breaks or the doubts take over the mind. Nadia and Fancesca’s knees were failing them from endless hours on the bikes, sleep had become a rare and sea-pitched commodity, but even then, Nadia found a highpoint. “Francesca and I were on watch and pedaling for four hours. We hadn’t slept for a long time and were having a conversation about something and then I realized, we were talking to each other, but having completely different conversations! I was hearing Francesca’s response in my head and responding to that, not what she was saying. It was hilarious!”
Yeah, Nadia, on land we call that auditory hallucinations.
Kids these days and their shenanigans.
Like many teams landing in Ketchikan, these four didn’t have a plan for “What next?” But it doesn’t much matter. Adventurers find adventure and how to descend from Race to Alaska’s summit doesn’t need to be discovered for these four today. Today it’s fish and chips, hugs with loved ones who flew in to bask in their achievement and reflect heartfelt admiration, and sleeping in a bed that doesn’t rise and fall with every wave.
If you’re over the age of 20 it’s hard to impossible to look at this achievement and not reflect back on what youth meant for yourself. If you’re like me it was more like petty vandalism and skylarking than heroism. Are they heroes? We guess it’s how you define it, but if you spend your days being better than you were the day before, why be anything else?
If you’re under the age of 20, hell even if you’re older, whoever you are, it’s my sincere hope that their heroics inspire you as much as they’ve inspired me. Mustang Survival’s Team Rite of Passage, you didn’t just race to Alaska, you fulfilled a long held dream. You proved to yourselves and the entire internet what you are capable of, what the rest of us could be. You showed us an alternative narrative to the blanket dismissal of a generation, helicopter parenting, and some vague belief that without forced march interventions the explorations of anyone born after 2000 will be limited to Mine Craft’s square and pixelated geography. You self-motivated IRL. You achieved, you inspired, and you’re just getting started.
Welcome back to land, Mustang Survival’s Team Rite of Passage. It’s been an honor.
In a world where kids are sometimes scared to go to school and are often conditioned to be afraid of everything, these young adults showed they’re more than capable of doing the extraordinary. For more on the team’s efforts, check out the Instagram page @teamriteofpassage.
–KH
(An earlier version of this post implied the team was affiliated with the Rite of Passage community organization. It is not.)
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
My old skipper and 2-time Mini Transat finisher Craig Horsfield is at it again, this time in next year’s Class 40 The Race Around. Yes, a doublehanded around the world race. He’s teaming with other experienced sailors to make this happen as a Corinthian effort. There are lots more photos on Craig’s Facebook site. We’ll be following this closely and posting here.
Horsfield has shared this video. Check the shape of his new ride!
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
If you’re like me, you’ve lost track of which adventure races are coming up. This, as far as I know, is the list. If you’ve got an event you want sailish readers to hear about, adventurous or not, let me know.
Today: Northwest Maritime’sSeventy48, a human powered non-sailing event from Tacoma to Port Townsend. The start is today at 7pm, giving paddlers a chance to go all night and then some. They have 48 hours to go 70 miles, including SUPs.
Tomorrow: Seattle Yacht Club’s Blake Island Race. NOR here.
June 7: WA360. The Northwest Maritime’s world renowned R2AK is another Covid victim for this year, but here’s a good alternative. One difference between this event and the R2AK is that engines are allowed onboard, though if they’re used the boat will not be scored. I imagine that’s a concession to safety in the heavily trafficked Puget Sound. Start and finish in Port Townsend
June 10: Pacific NW Offshore Race: You’ll be forgiven if you think of this as the Oregon Offshore. Because of Covid restrictions, there is no Canada, but there is a start at Ilwaco and a finish in Port Angeles, so the course remains largely the same. Bruce Hedrick will be providing a weather outlook for the racers, which we’ll print here on sailish.com
June 19: Salish 200. Back for the second annual tour of the Sound. Actually, there are three races, the Puget Sound 100, San Juan 100 and Salish 200. Here’s the page with more details.
There will be trackers and/or AIS to follow on each of these, for those of us stuck mowing lawns or sitting in offices. We have embedded sailors on each of these events, even if they don’t know they are, so we hope to have some first-hand reports. Thanks to all the clubs and organizations that are making this happen despite the Covid limitations. If racers or organizers have anything to add, please send thoughts and pictures to me.
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
Ed. Note. a few days ago we learned PNWer Cary Kaczowka is a member of Maiden‘s important world voyage crew. Here she gives us some insight into life aboard, reveals big plans for Maiden, and relays a request for help. Anyone got a spare chute?
Our location as of Sat Nov 16th at 1pm is 16° 44′ N, 102° 26′ W. Light wind and motoring conditions, it’s hot and sunny! My First 1000 miles on Maiden have been extremely enlightening and I’m enjoying learning from the incredibly experienced crew on board.
Cary and the SUP on the foredeck.
It sounds like I couldn’t have lucked out any better with this route – we’ve had quite a few days of beautiful downwind sailing and reaching. We’ve put almost every sail out, reefed the main at times, and are only now starting to motor for a longer stretch of time as we head inland and avoid tropical storm Raymond. The majority of their round the world journey is upwind so this leg from Los Angeles to Antigua via the canal with some downwind Pacific sailing has been a great change of pace for the regular crew.
Sailing on a bigger boat than I’m used to in a moderate sea state certainly put me in my place at times. Sail changes are quite different than on my Catalina 34. Not a roller furler around, a lot more load, and few more halyards to navigate.
One of our biggest concerns and major discussion point currently is the possibility of getting ice cream upon reaching Panama. (We’re very hopeful, as it’s super hot on board.)
The spin that really shouldn’t be used up too quickly. Photo by Amalia Infante.
Another discussion point is the possibility of Maiden finding another asymmetrical spinnaker that fits the boat. When I first met the Maiden crew at their talk at CYC Seattle, someone was kind enough to ask if they needed anything. Their answer was another asym so they could keep the current (used) sail in one piece. They have been visiting schools globally and asking kids to place their handprint on the sail, creating a spiral which grows with each stop. These handprints represent the next generation’s desire for equality and belief in the potential of girls. Handprints will keep being added until the sail is completely covered. It looks beautiful up! The message that sail carries is too important to lose, so it gets taken down quite early if it’s ever flown.
As Maiden’s journey continues today it sounds like more racing is in her future. Tracy Edwards announced their intent to enter the 2023 Ocean Globe Race, and I would guess there shall be a few race entries between now and then – including talk of the Caribbean 600 this winter. Revisiting that talk in August that inspired me to apply, I was so proud of our Seattle sailing community for taking initiative to see how we can help. In addition to donations to the Maiden Factor Foundation charity, it would be amazing to find an asymmetrical spinnaker that fits their rig. So here’s the ask again: Does anyone have a gently used kite taking up space to donate to a very worthy cause? A2 or A3? Below are dimensions and contact info. Let’s do this PNW!
Dimensions of current A2: Foot: 12.1m Luff: 20.7m Leech: 23m Area: 219.1m²
The whole phenomenon has been a great message that has been too long in the shadows. As a journalist it’s been fun and a little surprising to watch. As a sailor it’s been thrilling.
The story continues as the boat heads to Antigua via the Panama Canal, and then the US East Coast and Europe. It turns out there are PNW connections to Maiden‘s current voyage with Seattle liveaboard Cary Kaczowka and Julia Briggs who apprenticed with Brian Toss in Port Townsend onboard as “mile builders” crew.
Maiden back in the day.
I’m hoping to have more insights and info from Cary in the weeks to come. So far, she says “We have a few New Englanders aboard, a new Skipper Liz Wardley (her blog is up on themaidenfactor.org website and it’s really great). I’m really getting used to a boat this size, a watch system and flying a staysail for the first time. I’ve never been on one tack for multiple days either! Mind is blown.
I’m looking forward to relaying Cary’s experiences with Sailish readers. This is a lot more than a boat, a crew or a passage.
A little more about Cary from the Maiden web site:
Cary Kaczowka
Cary, 28, is originally from Seekonk, Massachussetts, USA and attended Bishop Feehan High School. She graduated with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and Design Innovation & Society from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2013, and holds a M.S. in Materials Engineering from the University of Southern California. Cary has worked as an engineer with The Boeing
Company in Seattle, Washington for six years. She is active in the Society of Women Engineers, where she volunteers as a leadership coach. Sailing has been a part of her life since age 13 when she learned to sail on Yarmouth
Recreation’s wooden knockabouts in Cape Cod, MA, USA. During summer internships she was able to race weeknights in both Newport, RI and Charleston, SC – always the highlight of the week. Upon making her way out to Seattle, WA she began volunteering as an instructor at the Centre for Wooden Boats. She began racing locally, and she eventually bought her first home: a 34’ sailboat, a Catalina 34, S/V Sea Haven. Much of her free time is spent racing on local boats, maintaining her sailboat, cruising the Puget Sound and Salish Sea, and racing Sea Haven in local events such as Sloop Tavern Yacht Club’s Race Your House annual regatta. Owning her first big boat has been empowering and certainly changed the course of her life, and has helped reinforce her confidence as an engineer. She finds fulfilment sharing and teaching sailing, especially with women who are looking to refine their skills and get comfortable on the water.
Cary was eager to sail with the Maiden crew in order to gain offshore experience, improve her racing skills and learn from a talented crew of sailors, and looks forward to sharing her experiences with the local racing and sailing community.
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
I spoke to Jeanne Socrates a few days ago, and among other things, I promised to help get out the word of her impending arrival. She’s about 250 miles from Victoria, and her projected finish is Sept 5. I’m hoping that some of her fans make it out to the Strait to accompany her in the final miles.
For those of you who don’t know, upon completion of this voyage, Jeanne will become the oldest person (76) to accomplish a solo non-stop circumnavigation. One cannot overestimate this achievement.
Along the way she suffered a severe knockdown that took out her wind and solar power generation.
Check out her S/V Nereida Facebook page or her blog here. She’s used her blog as a record of her voyage, so all the details are there from the beginning!
Jeanne’s post from yesterday:
Day 332 Fri-Sat 30-31 Aug 2019 GMT Slow progress again against light headwinds – mountains of Vancouver Island in view!
Friday 4pm PDT (2300GMT) Course has been steady 060T since early
morning and sun was peeking through light broken overcast cloud – but
now it’s a lot greyer and we’ve had some rain – looks as though more is
coming. Pressure has dropped steadily since last night and is now
1007hPa. Weather forecast shows a band of heavy rain expected –
especially over tomorrow (Saturday) – as the centre of a Low gets
closer. Thinking of reefing down a bit more and heaving to – with ESE
wind we can only head NW and I really don’t want to head N any further.
5:50pm Light rain and grey sky.. We’re hove-to and drifting gently SW at
about 1kt in ESE wind with boat’s bow pointing S – making a slight
‘slick’ in the water as we slide sideways. Very quiet, calm and peaceful
– a good way to reduce stress! I’ve been getting very wound up with
trying to head E, fighting the unfavourable winds we’ve been getting. My
thinking is to wait for wind from a direction that allows us to head
anywhere from E to SE, maybe even S for a short while, before getting
underway again. In the meantime, I can look at the radio tuner
connections, to try to find the corrosion that I think is causing the
transmit/tuning problem I suddenly found we had yesterday. 7pm Light
fading and rain getting heavier. Having a chocolate biscuit and brownie
with a mug of tea – and relaxing. I’ve counted up (yet again!) how many
biscuits are left – one shortbread and one chocolate biscuit (or
brownie) a day at tea-time until landfall next week, I reckon! Luxury!
Not sure where time went, although did deal with some emails and checked
weather ahead but I later noticed that our drift had totally changed to
NW – wind had veered a lot and was now coming from S-SSE at around 11kt
– time to get sailing again … Saturday 12:30am Now underway, making
the most of S wind while it lasts – won’t be long before it backs
towards E again. Good to be headed almost due E at a decent speed for a
time! Let out 2nd reef and unfurled staysail – making 4kt, often more –
wind strength highly variable. Must get some sleep – feeling quite tired
– have not got to my bunk so far tonight… 9am Had to come off the
wind by changing the boat’s heading more to ENE around 4am – wind had
clearly backed more and sails were not happy. Think I must have
over-compensated in my sleepy state…. Pity, since we could have gone a
bit further E without making as much Northing, but we’re not doing too
badly at the moment. 9:30am About to check weather – downloading fresh
files and running generator while I get some breakfast – think I should
shake out first reef to speed us up, now it’s good daylight. Wind likely
to back further into E, meaning we’ll need then to change onto port
tack and possibly head SE-ish, although wind might have become very
light by then…. 10:45am First reef shaken out. Becoming a lovely sunny
day with blue sky and thin, broken white clouds – would be very
enjoyable if it weren’t for the knowledge that we’re effectively sailing
into a ‘wind-hole’… Our speed is slowly reducing, despite full sail. I
can’t believe how difficult the wind gods are making my final run-in.
Instead of the ‘normal’ pleasant downwind sail in W, and then NW, winds
around the N.Pacific High to the entrance of the Strait of Juan de Fuca,
I’ve had to fight almost every mile of the way – plus I lost the use of
my now-shredded genoa in a gale and, for last two days, my radio – so
none of the many sociable contacts I’ve looked forward to making every
day. Believe I’m setting another (very unwelcome!) World Record – for
the longest nonstop sail once around the world!! Incredibly, it will
have taken over 11 months by the time I finally make landfall in
Victoria – Wednesday is looking highly unlikely, so maybe on
Thursday…? All depends how close I can get to the Strait entrance
(Cape Flattery) over the next few days of light winds, ready for some
good wind off the coast there by Tuesday. I’m keeping my fingers firmly
crossed that I don’t repeat last time’s experience (in July 2013) when I
was becalmed just off (in fog) and then within the Strait over 3 nights
while trying to complete that final 60 miles. Breakfast – think I’ll
make a nice fresh coffee and enjoy it on deck in the sunshine while I
pretend I’m just out for a pleasant summertime daysail in good wind…
It’s getting so calm as we slow down in the disappearing wind that maybe
later I can get to the radio tuner and antenna connections hidden away
behind the aft cabin woodwork….. 11:15am Speed down to around 2.5kt
and sails not happy… Midday Clouds have cleared away overhead – and
I’m just making out the misty outline of the mountains below clouds over
Vancouver Island ahead – exciting to see them – landfall will happen
soon enough!! Sun is sparkling on the choppy water surface as a
noticeable 2m swell comes onto our starboard beam from SSE. Need to
relax and enjoy being out here – not many more days to go and I’ll miss
it all terribly… Put away the frustrations of the delayed arrival and
just take in the seascape. The antenna problem can wait for a short
while… My coffee tastes good. ETA: Thursday…?? (Ask the weather gods
that have sent these light winds to slow us down…) DTF: Victoria Hbr
(Ogden Pt breakwater): 355 n.ml.; Cape Flattery (~60n.ml. from Victoria
Hbr entrance): 295 n.ml to E
***************************************************** While sailing
around the world, I’m trying to raise funds to help support the superb
life-saving work done by the RNLI (Lifeboats) in Britain each and every
day of the year, regardless how bad the weather. In fact, the worse it
is, the more likely they are out there, helping someone in distress –
whether a swimmer, surfer, small boat or big ship, night or day, summer
or winter, and it is a charity – no government funding – so they rely on
our help to fund their intensive training and maintain their equipment.
It would be great if you would take a moment to click on the Lifeboats
link here (https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Jeanne-Socrates2),
if you’d like to show your support for my efforts at sailing solo,
nonstop, unassisted around the globe, trying to set a World Record as
the oldest person to do so, by donating something towards the great work
the RNLI do every day. If a lot of people put in even a small amount,
it all adds up… Thanks a lot! If you can help, it will be very much
appreciated. Let’s see if we can reach my target! (I hear that some
readers might need to talk to their bank BEFORE trying to make a
donation to the RNLI since many US banks routinely block foreign
transactions unless they are notified in advance.)
*************************************************** Total distance covered from Victoria, B.C = 27,531Nm Distance to Victoria B.C = 355Nm
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
If you haven’t heard, we in the PNW get some claim on one of the world’s most exciting examples for women and the not-so-young, Jeanne Socrates. She’s 76, a grandma and circumnavigating the world nonstop singlehanded. Yes, you read right. And her Najad 372 Nereida just suffered a serious knockdown. She announced it on her blog (see below for a first-hand account. She’s okay.)
She’s already the oldest woman to circumnavigate. When she finishes this voyage she’ll be the oldest person to circumnavigate non-stop. Man, woman, whatever. She’ll be the oldest sailor to circumnavigate. Just imagine any 76-year-olds you know tackling a dragging jib in the Roaring 40s.
There are plenty of places to read about Socrates, and of course when she finishes her circumnavigation in (probably sometime in July) in Victoria, her starting and ending point, there will be many more. I wrote this article for the March issue of 48 North. I even talked with her via satphone while she was just south of South Africa. I’m honored she emailed me a few days ago to make sure I knew of her knockdown, saying “Can’t wait to leave the Southern Ocean and head N to warmer climes and the completion of my solo nonstop attempt – a mere two months longer than expected…! “
Nereida
I recommend not waiting for all those pieces to come out. She’s a great communicator, and her blog and Facebook page are telling the story as it happens. You can crawl to the foredeck with her in big seas and wrestle with the genoa, or put the interior back together after a knockdown. It must be a mess.
She’s also very observant about the environment. There’s always a mention of what kind of birds she sees.
Sure, she’s exceptional, but her achievements point to the fact age and gender don’t have to stop someone from doing what they want. She’s real, she’s committed and she’s tough.
I understand that a flotilla to accompany her is being planned for her arrival. I’ll post that information when I see it. Wouldn’t it be cool to accompany her back to Victoria?
In the meantime, those of you who need something to cheer about, reinvigorate your belief in the human spirit, or want a peek into Jeanne’s world, read Jeanne’s blog post following the knockdown :
Tuesday 6am LT (Mon 1900 GMT) Wind still just under 30kt from WNW with occasional lulls to 23kt. Seas big and conditions quite rough - being thrown around a lot. Adjusted course to keep well-furled genoa filled as wind has backed more towards W - will gybe onto starboard and get back on course.
9:30am Rain clouds are clearing away to give some blue sky but no sunshine yet. Seas still 6m or so and wind often 30kt - from WSW now - but frequently drops to 22-25 kt.
Changed over from genoa to staysail earlier, ready for expected stronger winds but might need to put out some genoa if wind drops much - would be nice to keep up a fair speed so as to round Stewart Island in daylight if at all possible.
A wave just crashed onto our beam - makes quite a noise and we lurch sideways all of a sudden.
Feeling quite chilly at 15C/59F sea and air temperature - weaaring plenty of fleece layers ... and my warm hat.
10:40am Sun has got out nicely, although quite a lot of cloud around - but white, not rain clouds. Pressure has risen to 1004hPa.
Having problem posting yesterday's blog via the Iridium connection - so sending now via my reliable SSB/HF radio! System keeps not getting a connection, no matter how often I re-boot it...
1:30pm Sun has disappeared behind a big grey rain cloud. Wind has remained down since earlier this morning- around 23-27kt.
Looks as though wind will be very strong (35-40kt or more, and gusting higher) from tonight and through tomorrow - so I'm getting some sleep now to make sure I don't get overtired when those conditions arrive.
Hoping to arrive at Stewart Island in between two strong systems - would be better to be near land in lighter winds and seas.
4:20pm Had a good nap. Sun getting low and a lot of cloud now. Being thrown around a lot by the big sea and wind is around 30kt.
Prions are swoopng around and saw an albatross land in the water nearby earlier for a rest - they often do so.
7pm Wind over 30kt now - will shortly furl in the small amount of genoa that's presently flying. Wind is forecast to increase to 40kt overnight so no need for anything but the staysail and will furl that in a touch, also.
Later: Not only furled in the genoa completely, but also furled in quite a lot of the staysail. With 40kt winds, gusting higher, expected soon, don't need much sail, especially if speed is to be kept down, as I'd like.
10:20pm Finished radio sched on 7163 - we usually move, as we did tonight, to another frequency, to lose the data noise there - was nice to make contact with Yves in Noumea, capital of New Caledonia, to the North.
In very strong conditions now - wind 40kt, often higher... The seas are constantly throwing the boat around and we're often surfing for a very short while as the waves pass by and take us with them.
Wedesday 5:45am LT (Tues 2245 GMT) Running under small staysail in very rough conditions all through the night - winds around 40kt, often up to 47kt or more, and big seas at 7-8m, often surfing on a wave at around 12kt, as it overtakes us - for only a very short time, fortunately! Winds have backed to W now, from WNW overnight and are likely soon to be from WSW. Frequently hear a thump on the hull as a wave hits the boat.....
(Wed 7pm) ........at which point, I got very wet becaue we were knocked down by a wave crashing into and over the boat - violently.
Fortunately, I was completely unhurt , although soaking wet from head to feet. Couldn't figure that out at the time but in daylight, later, realised it was because the overhead dorade had been completely taken away by the water action, leaving quite a big hole above me, in the coach roof. The cabin was in wet chaos with a lot of papers, noteboooks etc joining lots of tubes of cream, etc from the head shelves and locker - one locker door had come off completely and the inside contents thrown across to the galley. I coudn't move for wet stuff littering the floor
What a disaster...!
I was relieved to see the autopilot was still working fine, as were the instruments - except for the wind display - gone completely again - damn! But there was a weird vibration in the boat I couldn't understand... and not long afterwards, the autopilot began to have a problem keeping us on course - in fact, it simply could not and we were now heading NE instead of SE, at 3kt or less, instead of our previous 5-6kt or more.
By now it was getting light so I was able to go up to see what damage there was on deck. Staysail intact, as was all rigging, but one solar panel was missimg (so solar power gone from that point on) and the wind generator was vibratng madly, making the steel stern arch do the same...
Even worse, the two bags holding the JSD (series drogue) were missing - I soon realised we were, in fact, lyig to the drogue ih big seas and wind still - so not such a bad thing except I wasn't sure it was all deployed properly. It had clearly gone out from between the arch port side supports and I worried it might take the arch with it.. I went aft and managed to get the line around the nearby cleat. I saw a line of cones in the water but no bridle in use - so at least some of it was out OK. The staysail needed to be furled in ... and the wheel centred. Seas and wind were impressively high.
I left the wind generator rotating, thinking it was giving power - but then realised that was not happening - so stopped it - and the awful vibrations stopped. Later, I saw that one of the blades was completely missing - vibrations explained...
Soon after that, the second solar panel came free in the strong wind and began swinging around loose as it tried to leave ship - but was held by two securing lines I'd rigged. It was threatening to damage the radar and other equipment, so I had to go aft and release the lines so it could break free - another gift to Neptune.
In between all this, I was trying to clear up the wet mess in the cabin while wondering if i would be able to continue on or have to pull in somewhere for repairs. I contacted Taupo Maritime Radio with a 'Pan Pan' call to inform them of my situation and we agreed a regular radio 'sched' to keep them updated with my status. I had a radio sched with Peter, ZL1PWM, so told him and asked him to keep a sched on 7150 for me later on to let ham radio friends know what had happened.
Power will now be a problem - radio takes a lot, as does the autopilot, and I'll be dependent on the small generator alone for battery charging from now on. I'll be checking my diesel stored on board to see how much is left and calulate usage likely for the next two or more months.. I'll probsbly have to hand steer quite a bit now, in order to conserve fuel and radio use will need to be a lot less - maybe just brief emails with very little voice - i'll have to see how that works out.
As a result of Colin's help yesterday, I now know what to try to get the Aurora/Redport wi-fi terminal working when it goes down - so spent a time this afternoon trying to get it working (It had been disconnected, and so stopped, in the knockdown). I finally succeeded when I found a corroded terminal pin needing cleaninhg. Spoke to both MRCC New Zealand and Taupo Maritime Radio to confirm their telephone numbers, in case needed - and agreed a less time-consuming sched with Taupo Radio - by phone, as needing less power use than radio.
Got out a dry duvet and pillow from the aft cabin - the port bunk is sodden and unuseable but, luckily, the starboard bunk is relatively dry.
Checked the PC - not water-damaged, as feared, so useable -
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While sailing around the world, I'm trying to raise funds to help support the superb life-saving work done by the RNLI (Lifeboats) in Britain each and every day of the year, regardless how bad the weather. In fact, the worse it is, the more likely they are out there, helping someone in distress - whether a swimmer, surfer, small boat or big ship, night or day, summer or winter. They are all volunteers with normal day-jobs who respond immediately to a call and it is a charity - no government funding - so they rely on our help to fund their intensive training and maintain their equipment.
It would be great if you would take a moment to click on the Lifeboats link here (https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Jeanne-Socrates2), if you'd like to show your support for my efforts at sailing solo, nonstop, unassisted around the globe, trying to set a World Record as the oldest person to do so, by donating something towards the great work the RNLI do every day. If a lot of people put in even a small amount, it all adds up... Thanks a lot! If you can help, it will be very much appreciated. Let's see if we can reach my target!
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1900GMT (= 6 a.m. LT) - end of Day 223. We made 115 n.ml. DMG, over the 24 hr period, measured in a straight line between the two 1900 GMT positions.
Total distance covered from Victoria, B.C., to end of Day 223 (by daily DMGs):19,292 n.ml.
Distances (at 1900GMT): SW Cape, NZ: approx 150 n.ml ESE
Position & weather report for 1900 GMT just after knockdown, posted to www.Winlink.org and www.Shiptrak.org (using my US callsign KC2IOV):
TIME: 2019/05/14 19:00GMT LATITUDE: 46-43.00S LONGITUDE: 163-25.00E
COURSE: 106T SPEE WIND_SPEED: 44kt
WIND_DIR: WSW SWELL_DIR: W SWELL_HT: 8.0m CLOUDS: 100%
BARO: 998hPa TREND: -2 AIR_TEMP: 15.0C SEA_TEMP: 15.0C
COMMENT: Soon after knockdown, early on 15th May LT
And for those of you who’d like to see a video, This Old Boat provided one:
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
She’s got nothing to prove, and I really don’t think that’s why Jeanne Socrates is sailing around the world solo, nonstop, again at age 76. I’ve had the good fortune to speak with and correspond with Jeanne, and while she’s proud of her accomplishments it’s pretty clear her offshore voyaging is much more organic than that. She likes to see the world, and she apparently loves being offshore, so it seems natural. If she succeeds, she’ll be the oldest person (any gender) to sail solo around the world. Currently she’s the oldest woman to have done it at age 70.
She left the dock at Victoria on October 3 on her Najad 380 Nereida.
Everyone from the youngest Opti sailor to the oldest offshore cruiser should take heart from her spirit. She’s optimistic and indefatigable, having had to turn back twice in 2016 because of extreme weather and having to cancel last year’s attempt due to broken bones. All healed and out of her neck brace, Socrates was ready for casting off last week.
There’s a good Times Colonist (Victoria) article here. I’ll check in on her progress periodically. You can check on her current position here. The keepers of her website have already increased capacity to keep up with the demand. It seems everyone’s pulling for her – and should!
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
